Collisions of Considerable Impact
by Mikauzoran
Summary: An accident at a heist leaves Hakuba amnesic, and certain misunderstandings make him think that he loves Kaito. With no memories and no one to tell him who he is, he actually starts to fall in love. Will he take this chance to make a fresh start?
1. Accidents and Aftereffects

Mikau: Hello and welcome to all of you, newcomers and old friends alike! Thanks ever so much for coming to take a look at my story. I hope you like it. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd include more Heiji. I've become enamored of his voice after living in Kyoto for six months. I miss kansai-ben terribly! Everyone in the Japanese program at my school speaks Tokyo standard. Well, there are some girls that studied abroad in Nagoya that can do a little bit of the accent, but…still. It's still not kansai-ben. My sensei's from the Osaka area, though, but she mostly speaks the standard dialect too.

….

Accidents and Aftereffects

It had been an accident.

Kid had fled on foot from the scene, dashing across the street and running towards the mouth of a dark alley with Tantei-san right on his tail.

Kid didn't even have time to look back to check his adversary's position until he heard the squeal of brakes and a sickening thud. He whipped around to catch sight of the number plate and Hakuba Saguru's body lying on the pavement.

Without a second thought, the thief raced to his fallen rival's side, checking desperately for signs of life.

The blonde was breathing, but he was out cold, and there was a nasty-looking wound on his forehead.

Tantei-kun rounded the corner a minute later and darted through the legs of the gawkers surrounding the thief and fallen detective. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing the grim scene, but a second later, after his brain had processed, he sprinted towards the kaitou.

"Not now, Tantei-kun," the thief growled like a mother protecting her young. "Catch me later."

"Do what you need to do," the shrunken sleuth replied, tearing his shirt into thin strips to use as bandages. "I've got my priorities straight."

Kid wasted no time in calling for an ambulance and the rest of the taskforce. He gave the plate number to the nice lady on the phone and then attempted to help the older teen with the first aid treatment.

"You should get out of here," Conan sighed, wiping blood from his hands onto his shorts absentmindedly. "There's nothing else you can do."

"I can't just leave him!" Kaito exclaimed.

"He wouldn't want you to get caught like this…. I don't want you to get caught like this," the boy insisted, looking back the way from which he had come.

Kid beat a hasty retreat when he saw the good Inspector Nakamori and his men on their way, barreling towards him like a herd of wild capybaras.

"Thanks," he whispered to his rival as he fled.

The gentleman thief escaped but kept close by until the detective was in stable condition. After he was sure, he changed out of the nurse's uniform and called his witness statement in to Megure-keibu before calling it a night.

Kaito went home to fret and assign blame as he lay awake in bed, tossing and turning until it was time to get up for school.

000

When he opened his eyes, the sun was just starting to sink below the horizon, painting the world a fuzzy orange color with its glow.

He blinked and wondered what time it was.

This triggered the instinct to reach into his pocket and pull out…something. He couldn't remember, but he didn't have pockets anyway, so it was pointless.

He blinked and took stock of the situation. He was lying in a hospital bed—judging by the sterile décor and all of the beeping machines he was hooked up to—and he was alone.

He had a private room, so he must be someone important or know someone important.

He slowly sat up, noting that his body felt like it had been put through a meat tenderizing machine. He probably had some bruised ribs, but nothing was broken. Nothing felt broken, and he wasn't wearing a cast, so…

Beside his bed was a little table filled with a flower arrangement and cards.

Slowly, carefully, he reached out and took one off of the table, trying his hardest to move as little as possible.

There was a card from his class—Ekoda High 2B. He was approximately seventeen years old, then. There was also one from the Kaitou Kid Taskforce—whatever the bloody hell that was—and others from various divisions of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He was a police officer? No. Too young to merit attention and respect from so many ranked officers. It was more likely he had a parent or relative high up in the force.

Most of the messages read: "Get well soon, Hakuba-kun," "Feel better, Hakuba-kun," or "Hakuba-kun, we miss you!" Logically, then, he was Hakuba.

What was his first name?

None of the cards mentioned his first name.

He knew that if he could just get up to look at his charts or peek at the nameplate just outside the door, but…ah. There it was. The flowers had come with a tiny card that read, "Saguru-bocchama, please get well soon. I'll make you anything you like once you get home. Feel better, Dear. –Baaya."

This told him several things: one, his family was well enough off for him to have a caretaker that called him "Young Master." Two, with a name like that, he was most probably of Japanese descent. Three, with a name like that, his parents were either nitwits or didn't love him very much.

Hakuba took another look around the room, but there was nothing more to investigate from where he sat in bed. He pushed the nurse call button.

It was several hours later that he was finally left alone after having been poked and prodded and tested and examined.

He had just finished eating dinner when a little old woman with spectacles on a chain around her neck tentatively entered his room.

"Saguru-bocchama?" She swallowed hard.

Saguru blinked and smiled.

That would be his caretaker. She looked strict but caring.

"Hello, Baaya. It's good to see you," he replied pleasantly.

"Oh, Bocchama!" the old woman sighed, wrapping an arm around him and gently applying pressure. She was very careful not to treat him too roughly, despite her enthusiasm. "You have no idea how worried I was! Worried sick! Absolutely ill! Praise the lord that that thief stopped to patch you up and call for help."

"Thief?" The hospitalized boy blinked.

"The Kaitou Kid," she informed him.

There that name was again.

"Don't you remember, Young Master?"

"Things are a little fuzzy, I'm afraid," Saguru chuckled sheepishly. "What exactly happened to me?"

"You were chasing that thief across the street when a car hit you. Didn't even stop to see if you were dead or alive!" the matronly woman huffed. "Thank goodness for that thief. He called in the plate number and everything. They caught the criminal, and the police aren't being too kind, what with you being the Superintendent's son—"

—Superintendent? He'd been correct. He was someone _very_ important—the prince of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

"—granted you should have been watching where you were going, but he should have stopped. It's all because you're so obsessed with catching that thief, Saguru. I sometimes wonder if you think of anything else." His caregiver sighed. "But…do look both ways before crossing the street next time, Dear. I thought I taught you that when you were young."

"Yes, Baaya," Hakuba chuckled softly. He liked this woman; she was very practical but also kind.

"Incidentally, Baaya, do you know if my parents are around? When will they be coming to visit?"

"Your mother's still in England, even though I called and told her about what happened a few days ago. Your father is busy with work, like always, but he may come to visit tomorrow or the following day. It really depends upon how long they keep you here—you're basically all better, but they want to keep you for observation. It's a miracle your body didn't sustain any more damage than it did. You should be grateful!" She wagged her finger at him.

Saguru smiled. "Yes, Baaya."

This woman truly cared for him.

"And…when will my mother come home from England?" he prodded. She must be a very busy businesswoman, for he seemed to have been raised by Baaya.

Baaya blinked. "Come home?"

Saguru blinked. "Yes. When does she plan to return to Japan?"

The elderly woman's brow creased.

Had he gotten something wrong? Certainly he had a mother, for Baaya had said that she'd just talked with her, so she couldn't be dead, though that would explain the presence of Baaya in his life.

Baaya's eyes narrowed. "Bocchama, how old are you?"

"Seventeen," Saguru responded, trying not to look nervous.

"And when is your birthday?"

"August twenty-ninth." His sheet had told him so.

She proceeded to ask questions about height, weight, and blood type that could all be answered based on the information on his charts. And then: "What school do you go to?"

"Ekoda High." He shrugged. "Baaya, why are you asking me all of this?

"What class are you in?" She continued the grilling session.

"Two B. Baaya—"

"—What's your boyfriend's name?" she asked with a straight face.

He paused. Blinked. Now how was he supposed to know that? Wait.

"I don't have a boyfriend," he stated with certainty.

"Are you sure?" Baaya pushed.

"I'm positive. I don't have a boyfriend."

There was no card, no flowers, no evidence of anyone except Baaya waiting at his bedside for him to wake up, therefore there was no boyfriend.

"What happened to that boy you were dating?" She asked, and it sounded like she was in earnest. "You were just going on and on about him not two weeks ago. Did you two break up?"

Well bollox. Maybe? All he knew was that there was no evidence telling him that he currently had a boyfriend, so…

"He said that I never had time for him because of my obsession with the Kaitou Kid." Why the hell not? Based upon what he knew of himself thus far, it sounded reasonable. "He broke up with me shortly before the accident. Maybe that was why I wasn't being as careful as I should have." Sure. That sounded believable, and it gave him an excuse for getting run over by a car like an idiot.

Baaya blinked. "Saguru, did you really have a boyfriend?"

Hakuba blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I just made that up to try to catch you off guard. Did you really have a boyfriend?"

Bloody hell, woman!

He sighed in resignation. "Baaya, how am I supposed to know when I didn't even remember my own name when I woke up?"

"You _do_ have amnesia!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but I think I did a rather bang up job of pretending that I didn't, don't you think?" Saguru shrugged.

"Then how did you know all that? Do you remember who I am, Bocchama?" Baaya exclaimed.

"No. I don't remember anything. I deduced everything from the cards on the table, the private room, the way you spoke to me…things like that. Though, I did look on the charts for my birthday and blood type and all that." Saguru smiled sheepishly.

Baaya sighed. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Young Master. You're still a detective, even when you don't remember that you're a detective."

Hakuba nodded. "A detective, am I? Hmm…I can see myself as a detective. Oh. Baaya, what's the verdict? Am I actually gay, or were you just making that up?"

His caretaker laughed. "I'm actually not sure, Bocchama. You could, feasibly be bisexual. You've never really shown a strong interest in women, though you're always courteous—a real gentleman because I raised you right, naturally. However, you _do_ have this alarming fascination with the Kaitou Kid. I've often wondered if you didn't have feelings of a romantic nature towards him."

"Great," Saguru sighed.

….

:}i{:

Mikau: The butterfly emot is my favorite, so here it is again for those that have seen it before. So, I've decided that sometimes I want to smack Kaito and yell, "Annunciate!" I'm translating Magic Kaito for my Japanese 499 Independent Study, and Kaito mumbles and slurs something terrible. One time he said "Waateru" when it was supposed to be "Wakatteiru." That's actually not bad at all, but sometimes I have to ask Sensei, "What the heck is that supposed to say?" Well, I hope you liked the chapter. Thanks so much for reading; I'd appreciate it if you sent in some feedback, if you have the time. Thanks in advance! Have a great day!


	2. Running Into Each Other

Mikau: 'Lo everyone! First of all, I'd just like to say thank you, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter: ylvglo, athieisademon, Cyanide Flowers, Aniki-xvi, nightbreath, dontfindafuckingname, and Aoiyou. I was frankly shocked that so many people seemed to like it so much. I thought it might be a little boring, but a lot of people seemed to like it a great deal. I was actually slightly concerned that my writing was getting a tad lackluster lately because Change of Setting, Change of Mind and more recently Love at Long Distance didn't get/hasn't been getting very many reviews. So, anyway, thanks for setting my mind at ease. As a reward for all of you guys taking the time to send in your comments when it's tempting not to, I tried to get the second chapter out quickly. I felt that since you guys made time for me, I should make time for you, even though school's keeping me busy. I really do appreciate it, and I hope this story can live up to expectations. I think this chapter is so-so, but I'm looking forward to chapter three and four. I think they'll be amusing. Thanks again, and please enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would be more romance—romance EVERYWHERE. Though, did you see last week's Conan with Kazuha's confession? It kind of changed my mind about the HeijixKazuha pairing. I've kind of rolled my eyes at it in the past because it just never goes anywhere, but seeing Kazuha man up and confess like that (even though Heiji ran off before he could hear it) made me think, "Okay, maybe there is something to this pairing after all. Maybe when they both mature a little bit more." Although, part of me is still rooting for Heiji's unrequited love for Shinichi to be returned someday. Alright, go enjoy the chapter!

….

Running Into Each Other

"This is your room." Baaya pointed out the door at the end of the second floor hall. "I don't really go in much except to clean and bring you snacks and tea. You like your privacy."

Hakuba nodded. "Baaya, am I acting strangely?"

"Not really, Bocchama," she chuckled, reaching up to pat him on the head reassuringly. "The only thing strange is that you don't know certain things that you should, so sometimes you'll say things that are a little odd, but your personality hasn't changed. You're still you, even without the memories."

"Thanks, Baaya." He leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead before turning to open the door.

"Let me know if you need anything or have any questions, Dear. I'll be just downstairs," she assured him before hesitantly leaving him to his own devices.

She'd been hovering over him like a mother hen ever since she'd learned that he'd lost his memories.

"I'll be fine," Saguru chuckled. "Thank you, Baaya."

Though he did feel uneasy once she was gone, he turned his attentions to studying his room and learning about himself.

The room seemed fairly normal. It was a mix between a bedroom and a study with a bed against one wall, a couch in the center of the room, and a desk, bookshelves, and a TV on the opposite side. There was also a sliding glass door out to a balcony with a nice maple tree just outside.

He wondered if he ever went out the balcony and climbed down the tree at night to sneak off with friends. From what Baaya had told him, he was a very well-behaved child, and they obviously had an extremely close relationship, but he had to wonder if he had a rebellious streak in him. He _was_ seventeen after all.

The most surprising part of the room was the wall his bed was up against. It was covered in pictures, magazine articles, and news clippings about the Kaitou Kid.

He really was obsessed. Unhealthily so.

And then there was the part of the wall dedicated to stalker pictures of a teenage boy with incandescent indigo eyes and chocolate brown hair.

Saguru blinked.

Great. He was a creeper.

He added "obsessive" and "most probably queer" to his growing list of former personality traits.

Hakuba stared at the teen in the pictures for a good few minutes, trying to discern whether he was merely attracted to this boy, in love with him, or simply stalking out of interest.

He came to several conclusions: it was probably puppy love spurred on by Saguru's obsessive personality. He didn't think that he was a psychotic stalker. At least, he didn't feel like one. He deduced that he was probably viewing things from the lens of a detective, gathering as much information about the object of his affections as possible—profiling, doing recon. Being a detective and being a stalker were similar in methodology but different in intent. Saguru decided that he was simply studying his crush, not stalking him.

Saguru also decided that he had good taste in men.

The other teen was very athletic, judging by the pictures of him bouncing around the classroom and showing off in PE. The brunette was handsome as well. Nice, soft features that leaned more towards the feminine side of the spectrum. He had a rather fetching smile. The boy was kind as well. There were several pictures of him playing with children and comforting them when they cried that attested to this quality. His crush was a charmer, too. In many pictures he was shown handing out flowers to the ladies.

Saguru sighed.

His love was probably unrequited, since his beloved seemed to be of a rather heterosexual persuasion.

He sighed again and started to rummage through his things.

Saguru had a lot of books on varied subjects. There was chemistry, biology, physics, ballistics, forensics, archeology, psychology, criminology, and several different types of math. He had reference books on poisons, alcohol, and other drugs as well as a good deal of detective fiction.

He also seemed to have a fondness for poetry in English and French. Upon opening these books in particular, he was quite pleased to find that he understood. Though being able to comprehend the earlier scientific texts had boosted his self-confidence, he found that discovering that he was proficient in several languages was particularly satisfying.

All-in-all, Saguru seemed like a very bright, talented young man.

…with horrible fashion sense, based on the outfits he had discovered in his closet.

"Baaya?" he called. "Who picks out my clothing?"

"You do, Young Master," Baaya called back.

"And you let me go out of the house wearing some of this stuff?" Hakuba cried, scandalized.

"You're very headstrong, Bocchama," his caretaker chuckled. "Would you like to go shopping for some new clothes?"

"Please," Saguru whimpered, rushing down the stairs.

000

"Baaya, what do I usually do for fun?" the blonde asked, turning around to examine the outfit he was trying on from all sides.

The first time he had seen his own reflection had been shocking. He knew that he was half English from what Baaya had told him of his mother, but…even to his own eyes, he looked like a foreigner.

"You work on cold cases," Baaya informed him, scrutinizing the outfit. "That one looks nice. It brings out the color of your eyes."

Saguru blinked. "I solve murders for fun?"

"You play chess too," she quickly added, hearing the dissatisfaction in his voice.

"Oh," Saguru chuckled, brightening up. Yes, there had been a marble chess set in his room. "Whom do I play chess with?"

Baaya blinked. "Yourself, mostly. You've tried to teach me a few times, though."

"Oh." By himself. "Well, what do I do with friends when they come over?"

She turned away, picking another outfit for him to change into. "Why don't you try this one on, Saguru?"

"Baaya?"

"Oh. This and that. The usual. You know." She made a show of laughing and smiling.

"No, I don't. That's why I'm asking." Saguru frowned, taking the outfit into the dressing room to change. "I don't have friends over much?"

"We're buying this one," Baaya decreed, fixing his collar for him. "Japanese people don't visit one another's houses very often. You're thinking of how things were in England. You spent most of your young life there. People visited you in England all the time." Mostly clients and the sons and daughters of people trying to get in good with his mother, but…

"Oh." Saguru nodded, a smile coming to his face. "So…I go out with friends, then. Do we have to get this one? It's a little stiff."

"It'll soften up a bit after it's washed. It looks good on you, Saguru." Baaya ignored the former statement.

"Do I go out with friends often?" He asked directly.

"Occasionally, Dear. You're very dedicated to your work and your schooling. You don't have a lot of free time."

"I see…." He changed back into his own clothes, and they headed for the register.

"Hakuba-kun!" a young woman's voice called out as they left the checkout counter.

He looked and saw a bushy-haired brunette girl racing towards him, dragging the man he was pretty sure he loved along behind her.

"Hakuba-kun, did they let you out of the hospital already? How are you feeling?" She bounced right up to him and started spewing questions.

"Geez, Aoko. Give the guy some space!" the other teen sighed, pulling his companion back. He then smiled at Baaya and pulled out a rose. "Sorry about her; she's been really worried. I'm Kuroba Kaito, and this is Nakamori Aoko. We're Hakuba's classmates." Kaito bowed, offering the rose to the older lady.

"Oh my!" Baaya giggled, accepting the flower. "Thank you very much, young man. I'm Saguru's housekeeper and caretaker. You can just call me Baaya. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," Kaito replied pleasantly.

"Nice to meet you," Aoko chorused. "Aoko's father is Inspector Nakamori. He works on the Kaitou Kid taskforce with Hakuba-kun."

While Baaya and Aoko chitchatted about life being left at home while their loved ones chased thieves, Kuroba cautiously approached Saguru.

"Hey, Hakuba," the handsome brunette greeted, giving a nod of acknowledgement.

"H-Hello…Kuroba," Saguru gulped, mentally crossing his fingers.

The tricky thing about pretending not to have amnesia in Japanese was knowing how to address people with or without honorifics or by their first rather than their last name, but 'Kuroba' didn't bat an eye, so Hakuba assumed he'd gotten the appellation correct.

"Look, don't read too much into this," the indigo-eyed god sighed, looking away awkwardly. "…but I'm sorry about what happened…you know…the accident." He shifted, obviously uncomfortable. "And…I'm really glad that you're okay. How're you feeling, by the way? Sore anywhere?"

Saguru blinked.

Kuroba knew about his crush. Furthermore, he didn't want to encourage Hakuba's feelings for him, so he didn't want the detective to 'read into' the brunette's kindness and concern.

Well, that was unfortunate. His love really was unrequited after all…and just when they'd met in person too. Kuroba Kaito was even more attractive up close in the flesh with that angelic face and lean body. The stalker pictures hadn't done him justice.

"Uh…right. Thank you. I appreciate your sympathies, Kuroba." Saguru swallowed and tried to smile softly.

Kuroba Kaito. What a beautiful name. He wanted to test it out—roll it around on his tongue, press his lips against it, and caress it with his mouth. Kaito. _Kaito_. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to be on such intimate terms, and Kuroba had already clearly turned down his advances, so…

"I feel just fine, thank you. My head hurts from time to time, but my body's healing nicely."

"Good. I'm glad," Kuroba sighed in relief. "So you'll be coming back to school soon? We switched desks, but you're still behind me to the side, so you'll still be able to stare at me all day. Good for you, right?"

Saguru blinked, his face turning beet red. "I-I don't stare."

"Yes you do," the beautiful brunette rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You started doing it the week after you transferred from London Bridge whatever-your-last-school-was-called, and you haven't stopped even though I've yelled at you several times. Don't insult me, Hakuba. I'm not oblivious enough not to notice you staring at me and writing in your little notebook."

Yes, Kuroba Kaito was quite aware of Saguru's little crush.

What Hakuba couldn't believe was the fact that he had been so obvious.

"Anyway, school hasn't been the same without you to annoy me, so come back soon, okay?" Kaito chuckled as he placed a hand on his companion's arm, saying, "Let's go, Aoko. See ya, Hakuba. It was a pleasure to meet you, Baaya." With a kiss of the older woman's hand and a sharp salute, Kaito was off, dragging Aoko behind him.

"Bye, bye, Baaya!" the mousy girl called. "Feel better, Hakuba-kun!"

Saguru waved, but he felt the urge to go home and die of embarrassment. How could he have been so obvious? At least Kaito hadn't seemed to mind Saguru's affections.

….

^^(6.6)^^

Mikau: So, I tried to make a crab with little pincers, but I couldn't come up with anything that looked like feet. Oh well. They're doing sound tests for the concert that's going to be held in the gym of my dorm tonight (it's a rec center with dorm rooms surrounding the gym that's in the center of the building), and it's LOUD. I can't imagine what it's going to sound like when the actual concert's going on. I have a feeling I'm not getting any work done tonight. Oh well. Free concert. I looked out the window in the hall and watched them set up. The band was on stage not two hundred feet away. It was kind of cool; supposedly they're really famous, but I don't know them. My friends just shook their heads at me. Hey, I went and saw Relient K when they came to our campus last year; what more do you want from me, guys? I say, call me when UVERworld comes. I wish we could have a Vocaloid concert, but hardly anyone's heard of them here. I can hear who I suspect to be the lead singer talking now, and it is, indeed, very loud. I can't wait until the crowd of screaming fans comes. Yikes. Thanks for reading, guys. I hope it lived up to your expectations. Have a nice, peaceful night, 'cause I sure won't.


	3. Fabricating Friendships

Mikau: Hi all! Thanks for coming back to read once again, and thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter too: athieisademon, Syrus07, Cyanide Flowers, Canadian, and Aniki-xvi! Thank you so much for your support! I really appreciate it, and I'm so glad that this fic has been as popular as it has been. I like this chapter a lot, and I hope you do too. On a side note, if you're interested in having a say in what I do next, there's a poll on my profile page. I think I'm going to leave it up until the first of June. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I would have tried to make volume four of Magic Kaito more like the first three and less like Detective Conan. I realize that a lot of the chapters were Conan extras and bonuses, but, to me, the stories in volume four just don't have the same kind of light-hearted charm the ones from the first three volumes did. The art also starts tending towards Conan in volume four. Aoko starts looking more and more like Ran, and Kaito turns into Shinichi at several points. It just makes me sad, you know? I still love it, but…I loved it how it used to be.

….

Fabricated Friendships

The first day back at school was stressful—a rather Herculean task—but it wasn't because of the school work itself. Remembering names, faces, and even the layout of the school building was the hard part.

He'd gotten hold of the class roster and memorized everyone's name based on the new seating chart. Then, when he walked into the classroom that first day, he did his best to put the faces and names together. His memory was quite sharp, and he memorized a good three quarters of them before first period. Roll call helped immensely, and Saguru had everyone's name down before the end of the day.

His classmates were quite friendly. A good deal of them came up and asked how he was feeling, but he didn't seem to be very close to anyone in particular. He had studied the messages on the class get well soon card right along with the seating chart in order to discern with whom he might be close, and not one of the notes had been very personal—well, with the exception of Nakamori Aoko's and Kaito's.

Nakamori Aoko's had read, "You'll get that sneak-thief next time, Hakuba-kun! Feel better!" and Kaito's had said, "Take care of yourself, Hakuba, so that you can get back to chasing Kid soon. I'm sure he misses his favorite detective."

Perhaps his close friends were in another class? There hadn't been any cards, but…

He waited for lunch break to see who would approach. Saguru would be able to identify his group of friends then.

As his classmates began to group together and set up shop around the classroom to eat, Saguru got out his lunch and started eating by himself.

Perhaps his friends really were in a different class? If so, one or two of them should be along to collect him soon, right? Maybe they didn't know he was back yet? He hadn't told anyone, but he hadn't really known whom to tell.

He looked up whenever someone came close to his desk, but they always walked past him.

No one stopped to invite him to eat.

Obviously he was going to have to go find his friends himself, but how was he going to do that when he didn't even know who his friends were?

Suddenly, a bright idea struck him, and he pulled out his phone, turning it on and scrolling through the menu until he reached the phonebook icon.

He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before; it was so logical, so simple. Once he had his friends' names, he could always look up their homerooms and go find them that way.

The phonebook opened, and Saguru blinked—once and then twice more.

He frowned and tried to come up with an explanation for what he was seeing.

"Hey, Kuroba! Come sit with us!" one of the soccer players called out as the purple-eyed Adonis entered the room.

Kaito laughed and waved to several people before making his way to his desk to collect his lunch. "Thanks, but no thanks. I promised Aoko I'd eat with her today."

There was a roar of suggestive noises, hoots and hollers, from the peanut gallery.

Kaito turned and stopped when he spotted Saguru. "Something wrong with your phone?" The god-like brunette blinked, coming over to take a look. "You're looking at it like it bit you. Did it get damaged in the accident?"

"Uh…n-no…it's just…it's fine. It works," Saguru mumbled, casting his eyes down into his bentou.

"Hey, why are you eating in the classroom today? Don't you usually go up to the roof?" Kuroba blinked those magnificent eyes, and it made Saguru's heart hurt to look at them.

"I…I don't know…I just…" He had no answer, but at least this was a start. Perhaps his friends met on the roof to eat. "I was just on my way there now."

"I didn't mean that you had to go," Kaito replied, forcing the detective to sit back down. "Stay here. I think it's good that you're trying to be around people more. I mean, don't you get lonely eating up there by yourself all the time?"

Saguru blinked. He ate by himself? "Y-Yes. I suppose I'm very lonely since I seem to be on my own most of the time. Maybe that's why I throw myself into my work solving murders and chasing thieves. I'm sure it takes my mind off of things and gives my life purpose," he muttered, staring down at the shrimp that was staring back at him.

Kaito stared at the blonde too, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. "Uh…well…if you want, you can come eat with Aoko and me. As long as you don't act like an obnoxious creep, that is."

Saguru blinked and looked up into his beloved's face.

Kuroba smiled softly down at him.

"Th-Thank you. I promise not to act like a weirdo," Hakuba swore, packing up his lunch and preparing to follow wherever the other teen led.

"You always act like a weirdo," Kaito chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"It took you long enough," Aoko snapped when she saw Kaito open the door to the roof. "Aoko was waiting!"

"Stopped to pick up a straggler." Kuroba shrugged, stepping out of the way so that Hakuba was visible.

"Hey there, Hakuba-kun! So glad you could join us!" the enthusiastic girl sang when she caught sight of him.

"H-Hello…Nakamori-san," Saguru guessed and prayed he'd gotten it right. They didn't seem to be close, so 'Nakamori-san' was a safe bet. In fact, since he didn't seem to have friends, everyone would probably be last name plus san. "I hope it's okay if I join you two."

The inspector's daughter blinked. "Uh…no problem."

Blast. He'd blundered. What was it then? Aoko-san? Nakamori-chan?

"Oh! Aoko forgot her chopsticks!" the bushy-haired girl announced. "Be right back!"

Saguru sighed. "What do I usually call her?"

Kaito blinked. "Uh…Aoko-kun."

Hakuba's brow furrowed. "Why in the world would I call her Aoko-kun? Nakamori-san would make more sense."

Kuroba raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Like I'd know."

"Do you know whom I could talk to that would?" the detective muttered, quite tired of this farce.

"You'd know that better than I would, Hakuba," Kaito replied, shifting uneasily.

"But I don't," Saguru sighed, opening his lunch and beginning to eat again. "I don't know anything, and I'm weary of pretending that I do. This façade is draining to keep up."

"You…have amnesia…" Kaito gasped.

Saguru shrugged, picking up the shrimp and considering biting its little head off. He set the shrimp back down.

"What _do_ you remember, Hakuba?" his classmate breathed.

"Everything since waking up in the hospital…nothing before that, but Baaya's given me a pretty precise rundown of my work and home life. I met my father the other day, but we don't seem to have much of a relationship. My mother is still in England. She called to check up on me, but I could tell that we don't interact much either. I have Baaya, though. We're very close, and just having _her,_ more than makes up for the absence of my parents.

"I don't know much about my school life, but I memorized the floor plans, our classmates' names, and the seating chart. I'm quickly learning that I don't have friends, though. Tell me, Kuroba, was I a disagreeable person? Is that why people don't like me? Was I rude or mean or something like that? Is that why people avoid me?"

"No! No, Hakuba, it's nothing like that," Kaito assured, the Brit's sob story tugging at his heartstrings. "You're just quiet and shy, so it's hard for people to approach and get to know you. You _do_ have friends, though," he lied.

"I do?" Saguru blinked. His day brightened a little. "Who are my friends?"

"Well, first of all, I'm your friend," Kaito announced, quickly making up backstories to go with Hakuba's friendships. "We didn't get along so well when you first transferred because you had a crush on Aoko, but as soon as that went away, we became friends. We like to tease and pester each other, and sometimes we face off intellectually since you're almost my mental equal."

"Do we ever play chess?" Saguru inquired, thinking of his marble chessboard.

"Sometimes. We're pretty evenly matched." Kaito shrugged. "You're also friends with Aoko. She's Nakamori-keibu's daughter. He's in charge of the Kaitou Kid taskforce that you work with. She hates Kid, so you two get along pretty well, but you don't like her anymore," the magician stressed, reasoning, 'Why not clear up some misunderstandings while constructing a social network for the guy?'

"You don't have to keep saying that, Kuroba," Saguru chuckled. "I know that I don't like…Aoko-kun anymore, and you should know that too. I know perfectly well of whom I am enamored."

Kaito blinked. "Oh. You do? Good. Another one of your friends is Aoko's friend Momoi Keiko. You call her Keiko-san. She's a huge fan of Kid, so she always comes up to you and asks about how heists went. She also manages the KidxDetective Hakuba fan club and fan site. You should see some of the fanfics she writes. Simply torrid."

Saguru blushed profusely.

"And last, but not least, is Koizumi Akako. You call her Koizumi-san. She's…unique. She used to be worse, but her personality has improved with time and exposure to me. Don't look at her directly. Most guys' brains turn to goo when they do that. You've got a very fine brain, so don't go wasting it."

"U-Understood," Saguru nodded, getting out a pen and paper to take notes.

"One more thing," Kaito remembered another issue that he should probably take the time to clear up. "I'm Kid's biggest fan—something you're obviously not happy about. In fact, you've even gone so far as to accuse me of being Kid several times, but every time my innocence has been proven. Just something to keep in mind if you start getting suspicious of me again. We've already danced this tango a couple times, and I don't want to do it again."

"I…I understand," Saguru replied, making a note that read, "Kuroba =/= Kid."

"Good. That's about it then. Just ask if you have any questions. I'll tell the others about your situation for you," Kaito chuckled with a wink.

"Thank you, Kuroba," Hakuba responded with a smile. But then a thought came to him. "But…if I have all of these friends, why do I eat my lunch alone?"

Kaito blinked. Oh. Hmm. "You like eating by yourself. At least…you used to. You hardly ever come when I invite you. I think it's an intellectual thing. You usually sit up on the roof and meditate or contemplate or something. I think you like your peace and quiet."

"Oh." Saguru nodded. "That is congruent with the information I've been able to gather about myself thus far…. But…" He looked down at his mobile. "I don't have anyone's number in my phone besides yours, Baaya's, and the police. Why don't I have my friends' numbers?"

Kaito blinked. Good question. "You don't really use that thing a whole lot. It's mostly for work, and you really don't need it for socializing, since you see us every day. You probably only have mine since you stalk me."

Saguru's face went fire engine red. "Y-You know that I stalk you?"

"It's a little obvious." Kaito shrugged with a fond chuckle. "Don't worry about it."

….

(^.^)b-b- "Mikau approved."

Mikau: They're finger guns. Looking back at my crab from last chapter, it really looks nothing like a crab. Maybe a cute little Martian thing, but not a crab. Anyway, I had a meeting with my Sensei today about my translations of Magic Kaito, and I really didn't have any questions about phrasing or sound effects, so I asked her why the heck Hakuba calls Aoko, "Aoko-kun". Usually older men call younger people by their first/last name plus "kun," or a boss will refer to his/her subordinates using "kun," but it makes no sense to me why Hakuba would use "kun" with Aoko. Sensei said that he's being kind of snooty and pretentious, exerting his authority and showing off his higher status. I thought, "Oh. Okay. Yeah, that fits with his personality." He was a total snob at first. He really only started to mellow out in volume four. I think his ego got taken down a notch or two after the handcuffing himself to Kaito/Akako heist incident. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter, and have a nice day. Thanks for reading!


	4. Building Bonds

Mikau: Hey guys! Happy Memorial Day to all those that that means something to. I'm sorry I didn't get this up sooner. I meant to have it up on Saturday, but I went home for the weekend for the first time since Easter, and there was no internet! It was terrible, and it was just _my_ computer that couldn't connect. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it; the next one's going to be the last, but it's a little longer. By the way, thanks so much to athieisademon, Syrus07, Invader Devi, Cyanide Flowers, Aoiyou, and Ace in the sleeve for reviewing. I'm so glad that so many people are liking this fic the way that they are.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, Conan would still be wearing the little suit jacket and bowtie. Even though I love his new wardrobe, it must be a pain to think up all of those outfits. Kudos to whomever does that; it must be a lot of work.

….

Building Bonds

"…and then after we were done at the café, Keiko-san suggested that we all go do karaoke together. I sort of lost track of time, and that's why I'm late. I'm sorry, Baaya. I'll call next time, I promise," Saguru explained, bowing his head in shame, waiting for his surrogate mother to scold him.

Baaya blinked. "You were out with friends?" Her child didn't have friends.

"Yes, Baaya," the blonde mumbled, awaiting his punishment.

"How much money did you spend?" If those people had found out about his memory loss and decided to take advantage of him, she was going to—

"I didn't spend any. Kuroba said that he'd treat me, so…I figured I'd treat him next time."

Hmm. "Oh. Well, that was very nice of him. Kuroba…that was that boy from the other day, wasn't it?"

"Yes. That was him, Kuroba Kaito. He's very kind." Saguru smiled at the thought of his love interest.

"Saguru, you're _blushing_," Baaya pointed out with an evil smirk.

Hakuba smiled sheepishly and admitted, "I…may have a crush on him."

Baaya nodded and patted him on the head. "Is that so? You should invite him over sometime. Let him know that he doesn't have to bring a gift or anything—you just want to hang out."

"I'll…I'll do that," Saguru said with an optimistic grin.

There was a twinkle in those golden eyes that Baaya hadn't seen for a very long time—since her child had been an actual child, really.

Saguru hadn't had any good, old-fashioned fun with friends in a long time, and it was good to see that this Kuroba boy had brought some joy back into her foster son's life…even if he had to construct an enormous lie in order to do it.

000

"That was a foolish move," Saguru snickered, taking his beloved's knight with his bishop.

"Dammit," Kaito hissed. "No take backs?"

"No take backs," the detective chuckled smugly.

"Come on," the demi-god begged, making puppy-dog eyes at him. "I'm having an off day. Please?"

"Let me think…no." Saguru right out laughed at Kaito's pouty face. "Oh, alright, but only because it's you. Stop making that face at me."

"Yes! Thanks, Ru!" Kaito chortled as he changed the position of his resurrected knight. "Checkmate!"

Saguru sighed. "I was so hoping that you hadn't seen that move…and please don't call me 'Ru.'"

"Oh, you like it, you masochist," Kaito hummed, mussing the blonde's hair as he started to clean up. "I see the way your ears turn red. You like it, don't you, Ru?"

"A little," Saguru muttered under his breath, cheeks turning as red as a pair of cherries.

"Let's play backgammon next. Winner gets to get creamed by Baaya," Kaito proposed, getting out the board and pieces.

"Do you think we'd do better if we took her on together?" Saguru sighed. Baaya was the king of backgammon.

"Maybe," Kaito considered. "…if I rolled the dice and you moved the pieces. I always get good numbers, but your strategy is better."

"We could give it a try." Hakuba shrugged.

"Say, you went to the doctor today, didn't you?" Kaito asked while taking his first turn.

"I did." Saguru sighed as Kaito's roll came up doubles. "She said that everything's fine and my memories will return when they return."

"I think you should get a different doctor. This one's clearly incompetent," Kaito snorted. Doubles again.

"She's fine, Kaito. Amnesia is tricky."

"But it's been six months, and you still don't remember anything," the brunette sighed.

"I remember some things," Saguru retorted defensively.

"Ru, you remembered that you used to hate eel." Those heavenly, iris-colored eyes rolled condescendingly at him.

"Yes," Saguru chuckled. "Not that that does me much good now, since Baaya told me how much I loved it when I'd first lost my memories. I also remembered how much I liked the Beatles."

"Yeah. Good job.…Try to remember your mother's face or something useful next time." Oh, the sarcasm.

"Don't move there. I'll take it next turn and send it back to the very start. Move these two together," Saguru advised.

"Thanks." Kaito smiled, and it meant more to Saguru than the words themselves.

"I remembered something else," the blonde whispered conspiratorially.

"Yeah?" Kaito leaned in.

"You once dyed my hair red, white, and blue on the fourth of July just to get a rise out of me."

"Seriously?" Kaito sighed in exasperation. "You remember _that_? Remember something important like your first kiss or your childhood friends. Don't waste it on memories of me pranking you."

"Kaito, that _is_ important," Saguru insisted, putting down the dice. "It's important to me because it's a memory of you."

The idol of his religion snorted, looking away. "Geez. What host club did _you_ work at?" Kaito rolled his eyes and reached out to ruffle Saguru's hair. "Idiot."

"I wanted to remember the day we met, but…I suppose I can't really pick memories, can I? You know, the funny thing is, I don't really care if I get my memory back or not, but…I want to remember my nineteen years with Baaya and my two with you…though the first few years of my life are probably impossible to recover. They say you can remember as early as three or four, so maybe I could get fifteen or sixteen years with Baaya, if I'm lucky. Oh, unless I was traumatized. Then I could remember earlier."

"Knowing you, you probably were traumatized, you weirdo," Kaito sighed. "Why just memories of Baaya and me? Why don't you want the rest back?"

"I get the feeling that they weren't any good." Hakuba picked up the dice and gave them a roll. A one and a two. Figures. "My parents probably weren't around much, and I don't think I had friends. I think the other Saguru was very lonely…or possibly so jaded that he didn't feel anymore. I don't know, but he certainly wasn't happy. I was looking at some of his things—his writings—and it's all very disturbing. He was very clinical and impersonal…cold, like he didn't have emotions. I don't want to remember how he got to be that way, but I want to remember his relationship with you…how you got him to feel again."

Kaito swallowed hard as he picked up the dice. He did his best not to look at his friend. "Maybe…it's better if you don't remember before. It wasn't like you and me. We didn't hate each other, but we didn't really get along, either. Hakuba was my rival. He was important to me, but not like you're important to me, Ru. Ru, you're my friend."

"Th-Then…maybe my memories of these past six months are enough," Saguru chuckled, feeling like he was about to float off of the chair. "Thank you, Kaito, but…I still want to know how we met."

Kaito heaved a gigantic sigh. "Fate brought us together one day six months ago in a department store. I had been dragged there by my childhood friend, Nakamori Aoko, and you were there shopping for clothing that wasn't horrifically out of style. Our eyes met across the room, and I found myself inexplicably drawn towards you (by Aoko). I opened my mouth and said something to the effect of, 'Sorry you got turned into street pizza. I'm glad you're not dead.' And then you said, 'Thanks,' and I knew, from that moment on, you would continue to be a constant presence in my life, since not even getting flattened by a car had killed you. And we lived happily ever after. The end."

All Saguru could do was laugh.

Yes, that was the story that they'd tell their children and grandchildren.

…

(8) v

Mikau: I tried to make a snail. So, Ru's really adorable. I kind of don't want to give him his memories back. Well, thanks for stopping in and reading. I'd appreciate it if you took the time to send in some feedback. Thanks as always, and take care!


	5. Back to and Beyond Reality

Mikau: Hey everyone! How are you? I'm freaking out. I graduate next week, and I don't want to do my final papers/projects, and I don't want to wear that silly cap and gown. Woe is me. Anyway, this is the last chapter, which I'm a little sad about. I really liked this one, but there will be others soon. Speaking of other works, I have a new HakuKai one-shot called The Pit: A Romance, in which our boys get buried alive together. Check it out if you have time/interest. Also, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed: Syrus07, athieisademon, Cyanide Flowers, NewDCReader 1112, and Aniki-xvi! I really appreciate everyone's support. Enjoy the chapter; although, I realized when I was editing that it's pretty much fluff. Oh well.

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I'd pick more exciting ending themes. The opening themes are always so energetic and action-filled. They get me really pumped up, but then the closing themes are always so chill. They make me sleepy. I always wonder why they pick such relaxing, calm songs for the closing.

….

Back to and Beyond Reality

"Ba-Kaito!" Aoko-kun screamed, lobbing a snowball back at her assailant.

Keiko-san rushed to help her best friend. "Take that!"

"Ack!" the instigator yelped as the projectile hit him in the face. "A little help, Ru? It's two against one!"

"You started it," Saguru chuckled, "…so you can finish it. Besides, my hands are cold."

"You suck, Ru!" Kaito pouted, turning to fire on the detective. "I thought we were friends!"

"We _are_ friends! Why are you turning on me?" Hakuba put his hands up to defend his face.

"You betrayed me first, you traitor!" Kaito laughed gleefully, using both hands to launch half-formed snow wads.

"Kaito, please! It's too cold for this!" Saguru pleaded as he ran for the woods where there would be more cover.

"I surrender!" the Brit yelled when the pelting didn't cease.

"There is no surrender option!" Kaito chortled. "Play with me!"

"No! I don't like playing in the snow!" Saguru fabricated an excuse. "It's too cold!"

"How would you know?" Kaito chuckled, catching up. "You've never played in the snow before! At least, you don't remember, even if you have!"

"Whoa!" Kaito yelped, tripping on a tree root buried in the snow and crashing into Saguru.

Hakuba spun around, propelled by the momentum of Kaito colliding with his right shoulder. He managed to catch the brunette as they fell, saving Kaito from face-planting into the snow. Saguru bumped his head, but the impact was cushioned by the soft, wet stuff.

"Ugn," he grunted, opening his eyes. He blinked.

Kaito's indigo orbs blinked right back at him.

They stared for a while, each slowly becoming hyperaware of his body pressed flush against the other's. They got caught up in each other's eyes, and gulped in unison when they realized that they weren't the only one kind of liking this situation. It was hard to hide it when their pelvises were pressed together like that. They gulped again, both still breathing heavily from their run through the woods.

"R-Ru…I…" Kaito licked his lips.

Whether it was a nervous habit or a sign of arousal, it really made no difference to Saguru. He was done. He'd been in love with this god of a man ever since the accident almost a year before, and he was sick and tired of downplaying his feelings. He closed the scant two inches between their lips and kissed Kaito for all he was worth.

Hakuba lost track of time as they rolled around in the snow like puppies, ice cold hands snaking under clothing, burning flesh and making the experience all the more intense.

"I kinda th-thought you liked me," Kaito gasped, when their lips finally parted.

"Ya think?" Saguru snorted. "I've only been pining after you for as long as I can remember."

"So…one year?" the brunette chuckled wildly, face red as wine. "For me, it's been a little less than half as long. Four months ago when we were doing the butler café for the Culture Festival…we were putting on the uniforms, and you turned around and said, 'Kaito, I can't wear this; I look ridiculous.' I took one look at you and thought, 'Yaowza. You can't wear that; the girls will be all over you like cats in heat.'"

Saguru burst out laughing. "Oh. Is _that_ why you told me to go work in the kitchen and had Koizumi-san take over?"

"It was better for business too." Kaito shrugged. "But, yeah. I wanted to keep the sight of you in that butler uniform all to myself."

"What…what about Aoko?" The blonde held his breath and prayed that this wouldn't be an issue.

"About that…" Kaito chuckled nervously. "She told me at the end of summer, but…have you ever noticed how Aoko always blushes whenever she's around Akako?"

"Oh." Saguru blinked, his own cheeks coloring. "You mean to say that they're…"

"Yeah." The brunette gave a sharp nod. "Yeah, they're definitely together."

"So…you're romantically unattached?" Saguru gulped.

"I'm yours, if you want me." Kaito smiled, and it was like being bathed in sunbeams.

"I want you," Hakuba gasped, as he pulled the brunette back into a fiery kiss. "Good lord, how I want you!"

When they broke for air, out of nowhere, all of the pleasant tingling sensations throughout Saguru's body relocated to his brain and transformed into a powerful headache.

He cried out in pain as his vision faded to white. It felt as if his body had been flash-fried, and the pain slowly ebbed only to increase once again.

"Ru?" He could hear Kaito's panicked voice screaming his name.

"My head…" he groaned.

"Saguru? Stay with me. You're gonna be okay," the angel assured.

"Kai—aaah!" he screamed, and everything faded into darkness.

000

It was dark when he opened his eyes again.

He was in a hospital. He could tell by the beeping machines and sterile décor. It was a hospital like any other hospital—just like the one he had woken up in just about a year before. Only, this time there were no cards or flowers, and this time Kuroba Kaito was sleeping in a chair at his bedside.

Dear lord his head hurt.

He wondered if the chaperons for the school ski trip had called Baaya.

She was probably on her way right now.

It wasn't necessary. He was fine, but, god, how he wanted to see her.

He needed someone who understood what he had been through and would let him cry like an infant while they held him.

It had been a nice, carefree vacation from his real life, but he was back in reality now, and it sucked entirely.

Getting all of those horrible memories back in one go had been both physically and emotionally painful, and now he just wanted to sleep and cry.

How could he face Kaito now?

Unfortunately, the nurse coming in to check on Saguru caused Kaito to stir, and the magician woke up completely when he realized that Saguru was conscious.

"Ru! Are you okay? How do you feel?" His flustered little love spewed question after question, letting his worry and anxiety out.

"It feels like I got run over…again," Saguru sighed. "I got my memories back."

Kaito blinked, mouth opening and closing like that of a carp. "Saguru…I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to—"

"—Hush," Hakuba whispered, placing his fingertips over the lips he had kissed not twelve hours earlier. "I don't feel like talking at present. There are a lot of things that I have to think about and sort through, and I need to talk to Baaya first but…" He stopped when he saw the crestfallen look on his angel's face. He sighed and pressed his lips to Kaito's. "Don't worry. I'm still madly in love with you, and we'll work things out soon. I just need a day or two to work out some other things first."

"Okay." Kaito nodded, placing a kiss on Saguru's temple. "As long as you still love me and as long as you're still my Ru."

Hakuba sighed. "I don't know if I can still be the carefree man you fell in love with."

"Do you still remember the past year we spent together?" Kaito asked, indigo eyes burning holes into Saguru's flesh.

"Of course I do."

"Then you're still my Ru, and I still love you too. Let me know when you're ready to talk. I'm here for you." The brunette gave his blonde another peck on the lips before he went to sleep in the armchair on the other side of the room. "Night, Ru."

"Night, Kaito," Saguru whispered, feeling lucky to have an understanding man like that.

000

Baaya arrived in the middle of the night and took up residence in Kaito's vacated chair.

Kaito left the next morning, and Baaya and Saguru spent the rest of the day talking.

It was a week before the lovebirds met again.

The next weekend, when Saguru invited Kaito over to his house, the poor Brit was a nervous wreck. By some fluke, he'd fallen madly in love with the magician while his memories had been away, and even now he still adored that little loon. He'd be absolutely ruined if Kaito rejected him after finding out about his past.

"Saguru, Kaito-kun is here!" Baaya called from the foot of the stairs. "I'm sending him up!"

"Okay!" Saguru responded once he was positive that his voice wouldn't waver.

"Hey, Ru," Kaito called quietly from the doorway a moment later.

"Kaito. Come in," he replied, popping to his feet so fast that he felt dizzy (though, it could possibly have been from seeing that gorgeous man for the first time in far too long).

Kaito awkwardly approached, unsure of what he should do.

He and Ru would usually clap each other on the shoulder or ruffle each other's hair when they greeted each other. Kaito and Hakuba had sometimes nodded civilly. However, now they were technically dating, and…Ru? Hakuba? Someone had kissed him at the hospital, so he wasn't quite sure what would be an appropriate greeting.

Saguru solved the problem for him by coming forward and lightly kissing his cheek. He put his hands on Kaito's waist and smiled softly. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Kaito chuckled, nipping at his boyfriend's jaw.

"Please, come sit down." Saguru motioned towards the couch as he took Kaito's hand and led him.

Once seated and comfortable, the two sighed in unison.

After a light bout of giggles, Kaito looked his detective in those pretty gold eyes and said, "So…what are we even going to talk about first? There's too much."

"First…thank you for lying to me and creating a group of friends for me. I'm extremely grateful."

Kaito sighed in relief. "Good. I was so scared that you'd hate me or be mad or something at the very least."

"Why would I be mad at you for being kind to me?" Saguru blinked.

"Because I lied." The older teen shrugged. "I thought you'd be angry for me taking pity on you."

Saguru shook his head. "Maybe I would have been a little upset had my memories returned sooner, but a year after the fact, it makes little difference. I have a question, though. How long did you pretend to be my friend before you actually started to be my friend?"

"Oh, Ru," Kaito sighed, drawing out the 'u.' "The only time I ever lied about being your friend was the first time that I said I was. I really have been your friend ever since that day. I wasn't pretending when we sang 867-5309 together, and I wasn't faking it when I offered to walk you home that night. I really did have fun with you, and I truly was concerned about you forgetting where you lived. I really was your friend, Ru."

This caused a relieved smile to spread like a butterfly's wings over Saguru's face. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that." The detective placed a hand on his beloved's knee and gently squeezed.

"So…you're not mad at me?" Kaito confirmed.

Saguru shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

"…And…you still love me, even though you remember everything that…you know…before?" The indigo-eyed boy chewed his lip nervously.

Hakuba leaned in and pressed his lips sweetly to Kaito's. "Of course I do. I'm surprised that _you_ fell for _me_ when you still had your memories of how things had been between us."

"You…you were different after you lost your memories," Kaito explained. "That's what I thought at first anyway, but…I realized that Ru was the real you. Hakuba was just a mask you put on to protect yourself…to hide…like me. Since I got to see the real you, I showed you the real me too. This past year, we've both taken off our masks for each other. I fell for the real you, Saguru; who you had been pretending to be up until that point didn't matter." The magician affectionately nuzzled his boyfriend's ear.

"I…I'm really happy…that you love me…that you really love me. You're right. That was the real me without all of my walls up…. I…I want to tell you about why…" Hakuba took a deep breath and forced himself to continue. "…about why I had all of those walls up in the first place, if you'd kindly lend me your shoulder."

Kaito blinked but didn't protest as Saguru wrapped his arms around the smaller teen and rested his head on Kaito's shoulder, Hakuba's face pressed to the side of Kaito's neck. "Ru? Is it that bad?" He felt the detective nod.

"Don't laugh at me when I start crying," Saguru mumbled.

"Oh, Ru, I wouldn't," Kaito assured, giving his love a reassuring squeeze.

"Okay." He took a deep breath and began. "I was an accident. The only reason I was born was because my grandmother was a very devout Christian and she would have thrown my mother out on the streets and disinherited her if she hadn't had me. There was a hasty marriage between my mother and father, and then I was born and forgotten about. Baaya told me that by the time she got to me, I'd stopped crying. Can you imagine a little baby already so devoid of hope that it had ceased calling out for attention?"

Here Kaito placed a kiss on Saguru's ear—it was a little awkward because of the angle—and gave his darling a little squeeze.

"I was largely ignored as a child…my whole life, actually. People only bothered with me when they wanted something—money, influence…. I learned quickly not to trust anyone. I was alone more often than not, and I soon became rather apathetic. Things were very simple back then, though. I loved Baaya, I wanted my parents to love me, and…I hated myself…. Even when I was little, I hated myself because I thought that I had done something wrong. I thought that there was something wrong with me and _that_ was why my parents didn't l-love me."

Saguru cried bitterly for a few minutes before he was able to continue.

Kaito shifted their positions so that Saguru was lying between Kaito's legs, resting with his head on the magician's chest. Kaito rubbed his boyfriend's back gently in circular motions continuously, making little "shh" noises until Saguru was able to go on.

"I always pulled dangerous stunts as a child to try to win my parents' attention, but the only one that ever came running and hugged me when she was sure I was safe was Baaya. I gave up when I was twelve." He swallowed hard. "That was the first time that I tried…that I tried to k-kill myself."

"Ru," Kaito breathed, pulling his love tightly to his chest. He let the tears fall freely down his cheeks and into that golden hair. "Oh, Ru."

"I thought about it a lot after that, and I did little things, but…the next time I really tried was when I was fifteen…and again right before I came here to chase Kid."

"Saguru," Kaito choked.

They were both crying at that point.

"Th-That's the short version," Saguru sniffled. "I might talk in more detail about certain things later, but…that's enough for now."

"God, Ru. No wonder you were in so much pain when your memories came back," Kaito coughed, doing damage control on his damp face with his sleeve. "I can't even imagine getting all of those terrible memories back all at once."

"They usually come back little by little over time, but…I guess I just got lucky." Saguru gave his beloved a little squeeze. "I always knew that they were going to be bad; that's why I didn't want them, but…I…I thought that if I was going to have a relationship with you, I had to know about my past. I wanted to be able to share it with you, but…Kaito, I'm…I'm no good. I'm damaged…broken, and there are pieces missing. Are you sure you still want me when you could have someone perfectly normal? I don't want you to stick around because you feel bad only to change your mind later. If you're going to do it, break my heart now. It'll be easier on the both of us."

"Idiot," Kaito snorted, rolling his eyes. "So you've got baggage? So what? I do too. We'll talk about mine some other day…after it's safe…but just know that you're not the only one that's broken…. Ru…I love you, and I'll take all of you—no matter what baggage that includes. You're the one that I want, Saguru."

"I-I'm glad," Hakuba chuckled through tears, a huge smile on his lips. "You know, I used to think that I was unlovable, but…you love me, don't you?"

"Were you even listening to my bold declaration of love two seconds ago?" Kaito grumbled.

"I know. I know, Kaito. I know that you love me. It's just…I always thought that there was something wrong with me and that was why no one loved me or wanted to be my friend without their parents having told them to…but…now…you love me, and I have friends, thanks to you. People are kind to me without expecting anything in return. It's really wonderful, Kaito. I guess there was nothing wrong with me after all." The blonde smiled sweetly up at him, and it almost broke Kaito's heart.

He leaned in and kissed his darling on the forehead. "No, Ru. There's nothing wrong with you. You just got dealt a sucky hand of cards. I'll see about evening the playing field for you in the future."

"You're the best, Kaito," Saguru whispered, smiling as he lay his head down on the smaller teen's chest.

"How can I be the best when you already are?" Kaito snickered, ruffling his boyfriend's hair.

"Thank you," the blonde mumbled.

"You're welcome. What are ya thanking me for?"

"For everything." Saguru blushed.

"Thank me once I hand your butt to you in a game of chess," Kaito chuckled, clapping his love on the back and sitting them both up.

Saguru blinked. "W-We're still going to play chess?"

"We can't make out all the time." Kaito shrugged, adoring the way cherry blossom pink looked on his detective's cheeks. "Gotta have a good balance between friendship and physical intimacy. After I'm done trouncing you at chess, wanna try tag team Backgammon against Baaya? I think we could win…maybe after a few tries."

Kaito smiled, and all Saguru could do was laugh and grin in return.

"There's my Ru," Kaito declared, ruffling the taller teen's hair with gusto. "You know, you look glorious when you smile? Keep smiling like that, and I'll worship you as long as I live."

The detective blushed. "No need to worship me, but what if I don't feel like smiling?"

"Then…look at me just like that with those beautiful, pleading eyes, and my heart will be yours forever," Kaito announced.

Hakuba sighed. "Great. My boyfriend was a host in another life."

Kaito snorted, rolling his eyes. "What do you want from me, Ru?"

"Just your undying love and affection," Saguru replied coyly.

"Done," Kaito easily agreed. "Sold to the beautiful blonde with bedroom eyes! …So long as I get yours in return."

"Done," Saguru echoed, blushing some more and muttering something about not having bedroom eyes.

"Good. Now get over here and kick my butt at chess," the imp chuckled motioning his boyfriend over to the chess table.

Saguru laughed and got up from the couch with a smile.

….

ゆ

Mikau: It's the hiragana character "yu," and I think that it looks like a fish. Some people see it; some people don't. I can't draw fish, so I draw yus instead. So, I was walking with my friend who has this amazing ability to spot four leaf clovers and pick them without breaking stride. She has, like, a hundred, and I've always been super jealous of her. Anyway, we were walking to the art building so that she could show me her new painting, and she stopped to inspect a clover patch. After a few seconds she shrugged and said, "Guess not," but then I looked, and I found a four leaf clover. I'd never found one in my life before, so I was really happy. Before I met her, I didn't even know that they actually existed. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope to see you again. Take care!


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